The Average Joe does not possess the skill set to accomplish what you can do without eye focus...the camera is left in factory configuration where a certain bunch of AF points are used to focus, they don't know how to shift that group around the frame...ergo the no-brain eye finding accomplishes what they cannot do because they do not know how to use their cameras to better effect. Like automatic transmissions in cars, most drivers do no have the brains to shift their transmissions to control speed while going down a long grade, so they ride their brakes and wear them out faster...same thing, different situation...no brains make the newer cameras better for them.
Of course, the above ignores the fact that there are photographers who do not really care about the technical side of photography, and base their actions on the creativity of shooting, and the appeal of eye focus for that group...not because of no-brains, but their simply orientation to other (not0technical) aspects of making photos.
Best example would be how iPhone & Android designed their Camera app to behave the way it does.
These two smartphones destroyed the consumer (1) point & shoot & (2) ILC markets.
A decade from now I would not be surprised if they will eat into the markets FF frame approaching the 1-Series Sony & Canon bodies. Fuji may deprecate the 1.6x crop MILC X mount in favor of the 0.79x crop MILC GF mount.
Other than Steve Jobs no one would ever guess that digital still camera market worldwide shipment volume would be below year 2000 levels. But here we are.
Per CIPA report I read 5 years ago, hence the poll on "What year were you born?", the growing market for buyers of ILCs are nearing or are in their retirement age and predominantly male. If they aren't photographing their loved ones like their grand kids they are photographing animals and birds.
Among bird photographers in the Philippines I am the youngest when I started.
That is why animal AF was marketed in 2020-onward.
- Canon![]()
- Nikon![]()
- Sony![]()
When I saw that feature I took it as an indicator that the these brands are looking to expand to a growing market as iPhone & Android made the sub-$1,599 digital still camera market hostile to their products.
I am amazed by animal AF's claimed keeper rate by end users of the R3, R5, R7
, Z9 & A1. Any tech that improves the possibility of a productive day with more than dozens of images that would merit more than 40+ Likes from POTN users is worth it.




